A New Valentine's Day Celebration
by Darikiema
Summary: One Shot: Vash finds Meryl stargazing and she informs him that it's Valentine's Day. After some wild running about the four friends have a good time out in the desert and learn more about each other in the process. Rated T for mild cursing and some rude innuendos. Nothing too bad


_A/N: Well hello! This is my first completed Trigun fic. And, my first one shot! Woohoo! Anyway, I really hope you like this story. I took me a grand total of 8 hours to write. But, mostly that was due to my dyslexic fingers (though I think my brain was just mad at me for staying awake for so long). As for what verse or where in the time line this fic takes place, you choose. I tried not to make it too verse oriented. I just wanted it to be light and funny. As for pairings, there are no definite pairs, but it does lean rather far towards VashxMeryl and WolfwoodxMillie. Hope you like!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, nor do I make any profit from this story. This is all just for fun. -^_^-

* * *

"Are you coming, Meryl?" the tall brunette asked her small senior partner. She was poised in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder to see if the raven haired woman at the typewriter was going to join her.

"No, Millie. I"m just going to take a quick shower and try to get a few hours sleep before Vash and Wolfwood destroy the saloon," Meryl sighed, ruefully.

"Oh, well I don't think they will get that bad," Millie said, thoughtfully resting her finger against her lip as she tried to imagine what sort of trouble their outlaw charge and his unorthodox preacher friend could get into. "Well, anyway. If you change your mind, Meryl, you know where we will be," she called over her shoulder a minute later, the subject lost to her.

"Ok," Meryl called back before the door shut behind her friend. "I'll see you in an hour or two to drag all three of your drunk asses back to your rooms," she muttered quietly afterward. She sighed, rubbing her eyes from the glaze that had accumulated over them from typing for so many hours. Though, she figured she may as well go take a shower, since it wasn't all that often they got to stay in a hotel that had running water, let alone a shower. So, this happened to be a nice treat that the notorious outlaw, Vash the Stampede was treating them too, oddly. With that thought in mind, she hurriedly gathered up some clean night cloths, her soap, towel and hair brush.

"Ah, this feels great," she sighed, delightedly turning the cold water lower and lower until the water was almost scalding. But, it didn't hurt, it just felt good. Really good. "Too bad this can't happen all the time. Oh well. I suppose it wouldn't be a treat if it was," she mused, lathering some soap into a wash rag and started scrubbing the grit of the desert away.

* * *

"Hey, Big Girl! Where's Short Stuff?" a tall blond man asked, raising a hand to wave over his friend, Millie. Beside him sat the strange priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Together, the two ridiculously tall men made a strange pair, but with the equally tall insurance woman added into the mix? Well, it was a rather intimidating table for the tiny waitress of the small hotel saloon.

"Oh, Meryl wanted to take a shower and get some sleep. She said she wanted to at least get a few hours in before you two do something and get into trouble," the brunette said, happily accepting the glass of whiskey offered to her by Wolfwood.

"Huh, is that so. That little spitfire doesn't have any faith in us does she?" Wolfwood asked, downing a shot of the amber booze.

"Oh no. Though, you two have gotten into trouble so many times that I guess I can see why she wouldn't," the tall woman chirped innocently, failing to notice the two men expressions turn sour for a moment.

"Oh well!" Wolfwood cried a moment later, raising his newly filled glass up before his face in triumph. "It's her loss!" he finished, his drink trailing his words. Millie just giggled and accepted another shot. Vash, menawhile, was sipping his mild beer quietly.

"_How did I go from being part of the conversation to being the third wheel?"_ he asked himself a moment later, watching his two friends start a conversation that he really couldn't take part in. The topic soon changed, but he found that he really didn't mind being left out. Not that the scary looks from Wolfwood when he tried were helping his courage any. So, he contentedly sat back and watched the two making small talk over a bottle of whiskey.

"_Well, now I'm really bored,"_ he thought ruefully as the timid waitress came back over to the table.

"Hey there pretty lady!" he cried happily, holding his hand up to welcome the small woman. She smiled sheepishly, holding her tray tightly to her chest. "Would you mind bringing me a bottle of whiskey? Just something cheap, okay?" he asked after a moment. She smiled tightly, trying to be pleasant, despite being shy. She quickly gathered up his three beer bottles and made off to fetch the bottle with a small assenting word. Slowly, Vash began to dig in his pocket for some money.

After fishing the bills out of his many pockets, he set them on the table top and collected his and the other, unused, glass at the table. Then, proceeded to wait for the woman to return so he could pay for the bottle and the glasses. That moment of distraction afterward would be when he would ask Mille for her room key. No need for Meryl to be all by herself. Right?

"Here you are, Sir," the girl muttered, handing him the rather large bottle of surprisingly cheap booze.

"Why thank you! Here, I'll be taking the glasses too," he finished, setting the crumpled double dollars on her tray and offering one of his flashiest and most disarming grins. One of those grins that made Wolfwood roll his eyes and Meryl narrow her own, even if she tried to hide the concern in the gesture by calling him a pervert.

"Hey, Millie? Can I borrow your room key? I'm gonna see if Meryl wants a drink," Vash started, not even daring to meet Wolfwood in the eyes. Only an icy glare would meet him there.

"Oh, Mister Vash! That's a great idea. Here," she cried, digging in her own pocket and pulling out the slenderspare key to her shared room. "But, be careful. She may be asleep. And, trust me, you don't want to wake her up right after she's gone to sleep. That's why she would always give you such big lumps on the head when you would run off in the middle of the night and we would chase after you," she finished, turning back to Wolfwood nonchalantly. Vash furrowed his brow as he listened, taking the key from the big insurance girl.

"_Well, that sure explains a lot. Now I really don't wanna go,"_ he thought to himself glumly. He reluctantly grabbed the two glasses and the bottle of whiskey before heading back up the stairs and towards the girl's room. Sighing with resignation, he began the slow climb up the stairs.

* * *

The way to the girl's room was really very short, being right next to the guy's room and having a door to join the two. However, that one locked from either side and still required a key for him to open. Since his room was closer, he figured he would stop by and change into his pajamas. They were more comfy, and he was just gonna be lounging around on an uncomfortable chair anyway. So he may as well be as comfortable as possible, right?

Vash groaned as he sat on the bed and began the arduous task of undoing all the buckles to his boots and suit, the coat being the first thing he slipped off. Once he was out of the body suit, he slipped into his loose-fitting pants and shirt and tucked his day cloths in his bag for the night.

"_Oh man, why do my great ideas always seem to backfire?"_ He groaned, running both hands through his hair in mild frustration. He sighed, blowing some of his wild bangs out of his face and snatching the booze and glasses from the table he had set them on. He quickly slipped the key in his pocket and knocked on the door that joined the two rooms, praying that she was still awake.

"Short Girl?" he asked timidly, knocking on the door again when he received no answer.

"Hey, are you awake?" he called again, taking the key from his pocket and, reluctantly, sliding it into the key hole. He hesitated, deciding he should knock again.

"Meryl?" He called, certain that he would catch her attention with the use of her real name.

No answer.

"_Damn."_

"Hello?" he called again, turning the key and allowing the door to swing open.

"The hell?" he muttered, looking around to see that the room was empty. Stepping inside, he looked around the door and into the bathroom to make sure she wasn't in there. It turned out to be just as empty as the rest of the apartment. Concern suddenly began to coil in his chest as he looked for some sort of clue as to where she might be.

Making a mental check list, Vash found that Meryl wasn't wearing her normal attire, her cape or even her derringers. Concern quickly manifested itself into worry as he set the booze on the table so he could think. However, before he could form two words together, he breathed a sigh of relief. Meryl had left Millie a note.

_Millie,_

_Don't worry if I'm not here by the time you get back. I'm on the roof looking at stars. I wont be too long, so make sure to drink a full glass of water, go to the bathroom and get lots of sleep._

_Meryl_

"Hmm," Vash murmured, running his hand along his chin in thought for a moment. After a second, he grabbed the booze, placed the spare key on the desk, locked and closed the conjoining door, pulled his gun and holster on and left his own room.

"_Aha! I found you," _he thought triumphantly, looking beyond the doorway on the roof to see the small pale form of the short insurance woman standing against the railing.

* * *

Meryl sighed, taking in the desert night air through her nose, closing her eyes to savor the smell before releasing it back to the steady, chilled breeze. She loved the feeling of the wind running its fingers through her damp hair, ruffling it dry with a strange precision. Above her, the stars she was watching a moment earlier flashed and sparkled with their happy light. She knew it was illogical, but she always felt that they were happy to know she was watching them. To know that they were acknowledged as something more than fact. She smiled at herself for the simple, childish thought. But, it made her happy to think it, somehow. Ever since her childhood, she had known that there was a world out there that had once been their home. Everyone knew that. But, to her, it felt like it was waving out at them. As if to say, I'm still here. I'm waiting for you to come home. She smiled bitterly at the thought. Like that one was ever going to happen. At least, in her life time. If ever.

"So, you're a stargazer, huh?"

Meryl yelped with surprise, snatching a derringer from her tiny shoulder holster and pointing it at the intruder.

"Wow! Sorry Short Stuff. Didn't meant to scare you!" Vash cried, waving his hands in front of his face disarmingly, the whiskey sloshing around inside its bottle and the two glasses chinking in his other hand.

"VASH!" Meryl cried, dropping her aim on the blond man and placing one hand over her heart. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She watched the blond man smile a bit, true amusement playing on his face as he walked towards her. She continued to stare, her features turning downwards in a scowl of disapproving resentment at having been sneaked up on. He just chuckled in response.

"Sorry, Short Girl. I really didn't mean to sneak up on you," he said softly, taking a seat beside her. With a frown, Meryl watched him make himself comfortable for a moment. However, when he looked up at her expectantly, waving his hand to the space beside him in offering, she shrugged, holstered her gun and sat beside him.

"So," he said after a moment and a shot of whiskey.

"Hm?" Meryl sighed, setting the glass of amber liquid beside her, not a sip taken. Frowning slightly, Vash continued.

"You didn't answer my question." Meryl looked over at the blond gunman beside her in puzzlement.

"What question?" she asked after a moment. He blinked and looked up at the sky, waving a hand towards the stars. She blinked for a moment. "Oh! That? Well, I suppose you could say that I am. I haven't had much time to since I started traveling around with you, Millie and Wolfwood. I'm usually stuck doing paperwork," she said, nudging his arm when she mentioned the dreaded part of her job. Vash smiled sheepishly, raising his right hand up to rub the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry about that. You know I try not to cause trouble. It just-"

"Follows you everywhere you go," she finished with a chuckle. She smiled up at him and laughed at his dejected look. He gave her a small smile in return.

After a moment, the two looked up towards the sky, captured in the silent beauty of the stars.

"Hey, Vash," Meryl called softly over the mild breeze.

"Hm?" he replied, breaking his gaze from the stars to look down at the tiny shock of black hair and pale skin wrapped in nothing more than a nightshirt beside him. She smiled, though she didn't take her eyes from the stars as she opened her mouth to work around the question she asked him.

"Do you know what day it is today?" Puzzled, Vash raised an eyebrow and shook his head. After a moment of silence, he was about to answer verbally, but she answered him.

"It's Valentine's Day," she murmured softly, almost dreamily. Vash watched her for a moment as her eyes glazed over with thought, the stars shimmering within the pools of silver orbs.

"_How does she know about that?"_ he wondered, watching the glimmer of the stars in her eyes. He felt the idea of looking at them through her beautiful eyes was much more appealing than looking at them through his own nudge at the edge of his mind. But, he quickly shoved away the thoughts, turning away from her faster.

"What's that?" he asked, quietly sure that she didn't really understand what that meant. He was surprised however, to hear her explanation of the day.

"It's a holiday that they used to celebrate on Earth. People would buy each other gifts and declare or show their love for one another. It's silly really, but it's such a nice thought. To make a day for telling people that you care about them, to tell the world that you care. Don't you think, Vash?" she murmured. Yep, there was definitely a dreamy quality to her voice now. Vash watched her for a moment, quietly agreeing.

"It makes you wish that we celebrated it here, on Gunsmoke, huh?" she sighed, sadly taking a sip of her whiskey. She pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose as the liquid burned her mouth and throat. She looked down on it distastefully.

"Cheap," she muttered under her breath. Vash knew he wasn't supposed to hear it, so he didn't respond. He knew she hadn't really thought much about the whiskey or him for buying it, she was just taking a notation and filing it away.

"I don't think anyone would want to be bothered with that kind of holiday. This isn't exactly a world known for spreading love and joy," Vash muttered, turning back to the stars in thought.

"Yes. I suppose you're right." Vash cringed at the dejected tone that she had obviously not bothered to hide in her voice. He sighed, allowing his shoulders to sink in his guilt.

"I do. I wish people would celebrate it here. Maybe we wouldn't be so... Hostile," he finished uncertainly. Meryl's biting laughter came out bitterly, fading off into the air that seemed to drop a few degrees with it.

"You're right, though. It's just a fantasy." She took a swallow, downing the last of her shot. Vash cringed again.

"_How do I always manage to screw things up?"_ he silently groaned. He heaved a sigh and stretched his back. The next twenty minuets or so were spent in silence, the wind and the patrons of the bar below the only sound in the dull of the night.

"So, Short Stuff. What would you do if we celebrated Valentine's Day here?" Vash asked slyly, leaning back to support his torso by his elbows. Beside him, Meryl shrugged and poured herself half a shot.

"I don't know. Never been with a man long enough to know about that sort of thing," she replied when she finished her glass.

"Oh," Vash muttered, trying his damnedest to keep the pleased tone from his voice. He bit his lip the second he finished speaking and began a mental berating for even thinking of Meryl in such a way. He had no right. He jumped when she began to giggle and lay down next to him. At his curious glance, she giggled more and answered.

"You know, I've spent all these years wishing people would celebrate Valentine's Day. But, I never really thought much about what _I_ would do to celebrate it. I just always wanted other people to have a day to be happy."

Vash felt a warm smile creep across his face as he laid the rest of the way down on the roof beside her. She smiled and nudged his arm.

"What about you? Have any mysterious holiday's that you wish people here would celebrate?" she asked innocently. Vash felt a bark of laughter rise up in his chest and escape his lips before he could keep it in check. However, it only seemed to encourage her more. Because, she raised her head a bit and looked him in the eye.

"You know me, Short Stuff. I'm the constant advocate for love and peace. So really, everyday should be Valentine's Day to me," he spat out. She nodded solemnly, resting her hand against his in comfort before resting her head against the rooftop once more and pulling her hand away to rest on her stomach with the other one.

"Do you see that constellation? The one that looks like a cross in a square?" Vash suddenly asked a few moments later. He pointed up towards the upper half of the south eastern sky before looking back at his small companion to see if she was looking. Meryl furrowed her brows and raised herself to be above his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. What about it?" she asked, softly returning to the rooftop.

"It has a great story behind it. I was just wondering if you knew what they call it."

"I've seen it. But, usually it's in the path of the third moon, so it's pretty rare." Vash nodded excitedly before turning back to the stars.

"Yeah. It's pretty great how, even though humans have only lived on this planet for a century or so, we still are able to find stories for the one we know," he sighed, dazedly gazing between each bright point. Beside him, Meryl sighed in agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the third moon raise and begin its path to blot out the few stars.

"So, what is it?" Meryl asked a few moments. She snorted in laughter when Vash jumped a little from the sudden sound of her voice. He laughed sheepishly, raising his left arm to rub his chin.

"What?"

"The story, broom head!" She cried, exasperatedly swatting his shoulder with the back of her hand. "You asked if I knew the story, but when I said no, you didn't continue," she informed him hotly. He laughed again, genuine amusement lacing his tone.

"Well, technically, you never said you didn't. Ow, ok I'm sorry," he cried, raising his arms above his face when she hit him again, her hand poised for a third strike. She smiled smugly before letting her hand rest beside her. He chuckled quietly at her triumph, letting her take the win. A habit he had allowed himself to fall into whenever she was around. An easy grin slid into pace on his face as he proceeded to tell his friend about the cross in the box being the representation of all of Gunsmoke's faith being held hostage on the desolate planet. She laughed quietly, shifting her gaze to another constellation when he pointed it out. After finishing each story, she would give a small, if not sheepish, comment on how nice it was.

Vash, a little put out at her lack of enthusiasm for his stories began searching the stars for anything she might find more interesting. He was silent for a few moments, searching as many of the stars as he could between the light of the many moons when she spoke.

"Which star do you think Earth orbits?"

Vash jolted out of his revere over the many stories he had heard over the years and looked at the little woman on his right. She was still gazing at the stars, her brow furrowed as she searched each of the small pieces of the universe for the answers to many questions. He felt a sad pang of guilt wash over him as he thought over her question.

"None," he whispered sadly. "The star the Earth orbited is too far away to cast any light on this planet at night. Even if it wasn't, it would be on the other side of the planet right now. We wouldn't be able to see it when the planet turned because of our suns," he finished dejectedly, allowing his gaze to fall on the petite length of insurance girl at his side. He could almost see her deflate sadly at his words, and shiver from a sudden chill. As if, the knowledge that their ancestor's home was too far away to be seen set an icy chill deep in her bones, sapping a warmth of comfort from her.

Guiltily, he shifted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders for comfort.

"I'm sorry. I know it would be great to be able to see it here. But, think of it as a severed tie. Without seeing it there all the time, there is no false hope of anyone ever coming to the rescue."

"That's not a great pep talk, Vash," She murmured dejectedly. He shut his eyes and smacked a hand to his forehead.

"_Stupid!" _he thought to himself. _"How could I be so stupid? Of course that would make her feel worse. I'm really am an idiot!"_

Next to him, Meryl sighed and returned her gaze to the sky.

"_A girl could get used to this Vash and this kind of treatment,"_ she thought a little dreamily. But, she immediately shook such thoughts from her mind and sat up and away from him.

"What's wrong? Aren't you cold?" Vash asked from next to her. He was still laying down, his left hand propped beneath his head and the spikes of his hair falling about his head in whichever way they wanted. Meryl turned to face him, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Vash. I'm fine," she said. A violent shiver and a tremor from her lower jaw betrayed her as she spoke. She dropped her head and her smile turned dismayed with her defeat. Vash's chuckle next to her was soft and warm. He sat up beside her and placed one of his large hands between her shoulders.

"I just wanted a drink," she muttered a little dejectedly as she reached towards the large, still mostly full bottle of whiskey on Vash's other side. He grinned broadly at her, the moonslight reflecting on his immaculate, white teeth. She frowned, taking the bottle and pulling the cork out with her teeth before downing a large swallow strait. His laughter grew louder when she cringed from the burn and her torso shook from a violent tremor. His hand, still on her back, began to rub small circles into it.

"So, Mister Astrologer, got any other _amazing_ stories for me," Meryl asked mockingly, poking a long, slender finger into his stomach. He flinched, but flashed her another big grin before laying back on the dusty roof. His hand being pulled away from her back prompted her to follow soon after ward, resting her head on his upper arm, left side nestled gently into his right and toes wiggling to some imaginary tune.

"Well," he sighed, looking back up to the sky. A small, sly smile crept along the corners of his mouth when a thought struck him.

"There is the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi. I think it's rather fitting into your Valentine's Day theme tonight," he said, casting a glance down at the spitfire carefully nestled in his side. Her brow furrowed as she turned her head so she was looking at him.

"You're not gonna tell me some corny story about 'star crossed lovers' are you?"

Vash did his best to give her a hurt expression. But, she didn't buy it. Instead, she hit him in the torso with the back of her hand. He just laughed.

"Yes I was," he admitted, rubbing the spot where she had slapped him. She sure could pack one hell of a wallop when she wanted to. "But, it's actually a pretty great story. It was the source of an old Earth festival called the Tanabata. The story goes that Orihime, daughter of the Tentei or the Sky King, wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (The Heavenly River). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, Orihime grew sad that, because of her hard work, she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi the Cow Herder, who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly after. Unfortunately, once married, Orihime stopped weaving cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became depressed at the loss of her husband and begged her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter's tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there wasn't bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make her a bridge with their wings so she could cross the river. It was said that if it rained on Tanabata, the magpies couldn't go and the two would have to wait until the next year to meet. The two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi are actually based on two stars that you can see from Earth. There, they appear to be on opposite sides of the galaxy, separated by a river of stars. Here, however, they are even farther apart and they form parts of two constellations that actually look a bit like people. Although, the star's genders a bit opposite here," he laughed. Next to him, Meryl released a small sigh.

"Well, that wasn't near as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was actually kind of sweet. But, what's a magpie?" She raised her head to look at the blond gunman who was contemplating the stars above.

"I don't know. Guess that's part of why the story never stuck around here," he mused, shrugging his shoulders before looking at his companion. She nodded slowly, solemnly. Her brows continued to knit together until she herself shrugged and resumed resting her head on his bicep.

"Hey, Vash?" she asked after a moment more of thoughtful quiet.

"Hm?" he asked, shifting his hips into a more comfortable position as he waited for her to finish.

"Do you see that star? Right above the cross in the box. The blue one." She slowly raised her hand to point at the aforementioned star, looking back up to him to see if he could follow. When he nodded she continued: "It reminds me of you."

Shocked and confused, Vash looked at her for a moment, but she wasn't looking at him, her gaze fixed on the blue star shining down on the two.

"W-Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because," she sighed after a moment. "It's so bright and happy looking. But, actually, it's a binary system. Both stars, are fighting each others gravity, but are slowly being sucked into each other. Some _actual_ astrologers say that eventually the two will collide and cause a massive explosion in space. One that we wont see for many millions of years after it's happened, if it hasn't already."

"And that reminds you of me?" Vash asked, incredulously gazing down at her black hair and stary eyes. She laughed, clutching the fabric of her nightshirt tightly in her mirth.

"No, you broom head. It reminds me of you because one star, the blue one, we see all the time. It's big and bright and happy. But the other star, the green one, we rarely see. The blue one is like the side of you that you let other people see. The one that's out there most often. And the green one, it's like the part of you that you don't let others see. The mysterious side of you that most would run away from. But, like the binary system, both make up the whole of you. And, I suppose the color of the two remind me of your eyes as well," she muttered, resting her finger against her lower lip in contemplation of her after thought.

Vash was stunned. He couldn't really believe that she had said that. That she had... Noticed.

"_She's just as sharp as the Big Girl,"_ he thought, letting his head fall back onto his hand. He continued to stare up at the binary system she had pointed out to him. A small smile formed at the corners of his lips as he thought of his two sides making him a whole. He had never really thought about it. But, maybe Short Stuff was right. He was like that. The thought made a fuzzy bubbling rise in his chest. A warm sensation that he couldn't help but let loose.

"What's so funny?" Meryl asked, propping herself on her elbow to scowl down at her friend, who happened to be laughing. Rather loudly.

"It's just so funny," he gasped, wiping tears away from his eyes to look up at her scowl. She was now sitting up fully and had her arms crossed over her chest. In resentment or anger, he couldn't tell. The hurt however, he could.

"Well, sorry for bothering to tell you," she muttered bitterly, setting her hands on the ground and making ready to push herself to her feet.

"No! I didn't mean it like that," he gasped out, his mirth fading quickly. "I just meant it's funny that I'm so transparent. And, here I was trying to hide it all," he said, flashing a goofy, self berating smile at her.

"You're not," she deadpanned after a moment of silence.

"Huh?"

"I said: You're not. You hide it really well. I just... I know you better than most people," she finished quietly, looking down at the ground. She slowly crossed her arms over her chest defensively and began to fiddle with her toes. Vash smiled. She was right.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think I was laughing at you," he muttered, resting his hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small, sad smile before returning her gaze back to her knees. He furrowed his brow and looked to where she had her gaze fixated. He began to rack his brain for something that would cheer his Short Girl up.

"Hey! Let's celebrate Valentine's Day!" Vash cried a moment later, standing up suddenly. A stunned Meryl watched him gather up the whiskey bottle and glasses before offering her his hand.

"And what exactly to you plan on doing to celebrate the remaining _two_ hours left of it? It's a holiday for love and romance. Not traveling companions," she questioned, albeit a little bitterly. Vash tried not to cringe at her sour tone as he helped her up from the ground. She gently began to brush herself off as she waited for his response. Vash however, didn't bother to give her one. For, as soon as she finished, he grabbed her hand and bolted down the stairs calling back over his shoulder with a simple "You'll see". He smiled triumphantly at her exasperated groan and continued along down the stairs to their room.

"Vash! What the hell?" she cried when he stopped inside to grab his coat and tossed it over to her. She caught it out of reflex, but glared daggers into the back of his skull when he just grinned stupidly at her and began dragging her down the stairs again.

* * *

"Vash! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Millie looked away from her preacher friend to see their mutual outlaw friend dragging the tiny insurance woman out of the hotel. She blinked several times after they left, just to make sure she had really seen the two of them running out of the hotel in nothing but their pajamas, a gun each and Vash's big red duster in Meryl's arms. After a pause, she looked over to see an equally stunned Wolfwood staring at the space where they had disappeared at.

"Did you?"

"Yep," he replied slowly, his head bobbing up in down with agreement in the same slow pace.

"Should we-"

"Oh hell yes," he said sharply, punctuating his assent by downing his drink and paying for the two other bottles on the table. When he stood, he grabbed the two in one hand and offered his other for her. She smiled sheepishly, but took it happily.

Once outside, they were met with an unusual sight. Okay, well not that unusual. Meryl and Vash were outside, same as they were when they had run through the bar. Only, Meryl was standing over Vash's quivering form with a fist raised as she demanded to know just what he was playing at.

"Okay, okay. Just what's going on out here," Wolfwood asked, hands raised in placid surrender. Meryl shot him a look, her large silver eyes burning brighter than the stars with her anger. Wolfwood took a step back and slightly behind the spitfire's partner. Vash, who had been called out of his pleas of mercy took the opportunity provided by the priest and large insurance woman.

"We're going to celebrate Valentine's Day!" he cried, joyfully spreading his arms wide towards the other two.

He quickly shied away of Meryl when she showed signs of aiming another strike at him.

"And just what the hell is Valentine's Day?" Wolfwood asked, removing himself from behind his shield and standing next to the brunette at his side. She tilted her head in the universal sign of puzzlement, tapping a finger to her lips as she began to think about it.

"It's a holiday they used to celebrate back on Earth," Meyrl began, rubbing her temples in frustration. But, before she could continue, Vash grabbed her hand again and made off for the edge of town.

"Come on you guys! The day is almost over and there is so much to do!"

"Vash, you idiot! It's a holiday for love and adoration! Not petty shenanigans!" Meryl cried to his back, trying desperately not to fall over at his break neck pace. Behind them, Millie and Wolfwood shrugged and followed in their wake. With Vash's long legs and unstoppable determination, the four soon made it out into the desert just south of the tiny town. It was a peaceful part of the planet, and no one knew who Vash was, so there wasn't a lot of danger out where they were.

Shortly after they left the town, they reached a small hollow in the sand dunes. One where they could still see the top of the town hill over the edge, but were still out of sight. Not to mention earshot.

"Alright, Vash. You've had your fun. Why don't you explain just what's going on in that needle noggin of your's?" Wolfwood menacingly asked as he took Vash's head into his arm, pinning him in a rather defenseless position. Beside the two, Millie and Meryl were bent over, resting their hands on their knees as they tried to catch their breath.

"How the hell do you suppose he can run that fast with that thing slung across his shoulder like that?" Meryl asked Millie quietly, indicating Wolfwood's Cross Punisher. Which was laying in the center of the dune shallow where he had dropped it in favor of Vash's poor head. Millie giggled and the two plopped down on the ground to watch the ensuing wrestling match in the moonslight.

"IEEYA!" Vash wailed, shaking his torso violently as he tried to free himself from the preacher's death grip around his neck. "Meryl wanted to celebrate an old Earth holiday. But, since so few people know about it, I figured the four of us could celebrate it as friends!" he wailed, tears streaming down his face comically. Next to them, Meryl's face flushed brilliant red in embarrassment.

"Wow, Meryl. You're face is almost as red as the fifth moon," Millie giggled, causing her friend to bury her face in the red coat she was still clinging to. Wolfwood paused his harassment of the poor outlaw and looked over to the two women.

"Huh?" he asked unceremoniously.

"All I said was that it was Valentine's Day and that it would be nice if we could celebrate it here on Gunsmoke!" she cried hotly, crossing her arms over her chest defiant of the blush still burning her cheeks.

"Alright, fine. Now why don't you explain just what it is?" the dark haired preacher asked, releasing his friends neck and sitting down in front of the two women. Vash, who spent the next moment choking and gasping eventually sat down beside Meryl, which happened to be the farthest away from Wolfwood. And, he figured that if the preacher man wanted to come after him again, he wouldn't dare do it while Short Stuff was between them. At Wolfwood's scowl he flashed a big grin, thinly veiling his smug expression.

"Fine," Meryl ground, elbowing Vash in the ribcage and giving him a scowl to match when he complained. He silenced himself and dropped his head in defeat.

"Valentine's Day is a day when people celebrate their love for a special someone. On Earth they used to express their love by buying gifts and writing letters and the like."

"Wow, Meryl. That sounds like a wonderful idea," Millie said dreamily.

"Yeah right! You want that to be celebrated on Gunsmoke. And just who exactly were you planning on celebrating this with if it were such a holiday here?" Wolfwood snorted. His bitter smile quailed at Meryl's ferocious scowl.

"For your information. I never thought about it like that. I only wanted people to take a day out of their lives to show others that they care for another. Simple as that," she finished tightly, keeping her eyes closed and head titled up in defiance. Wolfwood snorted, leaning back on his hands. He caught a glimpse of the Big Girl out of the corner of his eyes and sighed.

"Alright," he groaned. "I'll bite. What were you thinking of doing to celebrate this lover's holiday, Vash?" At the mention of his name, the blond outlaw perked his head up gave them all a big goofy grin.

"Well, I figured that, since none of us are in relationships and what not, we could show each other that we care as friends," he said happily, his eyes shining brighter than the stars. The looks he received ranged between confused and incredulous. He sighed, dropping his head and grabbed the corked bottle of whiskey.

"Lets play a game and 'give' each other a secret for Valentine's Day. Make it our own holiday," he said shaking the bottle so the drink inside sloshed around noisily. Eyebrows raised at his suggestion, but any argument was stopped when Millie began cheering at the idea grabbing her own bottle of whiskey from Wolfwood. He and Meryl exchanged a long defeated look before hanging their heads and giving in.

"Okay, okay. So what game do you have in mind?" Wolfwood asked, taking a pull from the other, nearly full bottle of amber liquor.

"Why don't we play truth or dare?" Millie asked suddenly, removing her stungun from under coat and pulling her shoes off to be barefoot in the sand with Meryl and Vash. She cocked her head to the side at her partner's quizzical look, but neither said a thing when Vash cried out his consent.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Wolfwood asked despondently.

"Great!" Millie cried, waving her arms around (whiskey bottle still in one hand) as she cheered.

"Only, lets make this interesting," Wolfwood interjected a second later, raising a finger and waggling his eyebrows suggestively at the three of them. "Lets make it a drinking game. Every time you refuse to complete a dare or answer a question, you have to take a drink." With his demand made, he leaned back on one hand and took another pull off his bottle.

"Fine," Meryl ground out, rubbing her arms from the chill of a sudden wind. "Only," she said, mimicking Wolfwood by raising her own finger in warning. "All dares have to be realistic, not too embarrassing, and nothing that we have to do in the future. And, no questions can be what you would consider personal," she finished, putting her hand back to her arms to rub the cold out.

"Fine. But, you can't just keep choosing truth either. One dare to every two truths," Wolfwood demanded, eyeing the short woman.

"Deal," the other three said in unison. Vash pulled his coat out of Meryl's lap and wrapped it around her shoulders. She blushed, but thanked him quietly as she tugged it closer to her shoulders.

"Ok, how about you go first, Big girl. Since you suggested it," Wolfwood said after receiving an icy glare from Vash in response to his sly smirk. Millie smiled before setting her finger to her chin, thinking for a moment.

"Oh, I know! Mister Vash. Truth or dare?" Vash gave her a pained look, not at all pleased at going first, but gave into her bright smile. Grinning broadly, he made a manly pose and declared he chose dare in a voice that was meant to match the pose. It really only made his big, fake, charming grin all the more comical. Millie just giggled and dared Vash to juggle all three bottles of whiskey without spilling a drop.

"What?" Vash cried, jaw dropping in disbelief at her request. "Alright," he muttered in defeat, taking both of the other bottles of booze from her and Wolfwood, mindful of the warning glare he received from the priest. After a few halted starts, Vash was soon tossing all three, very differently shaped and sized bottles of booze up in the air in a repetitive circle, changing directions or tossing one or two at a time, only to catch them all. Millie and Meryl both cheered at his little performance.

"Alright, alright. Give me back my drink before you bad luck kicks in," Wolfwood teased. Sticking his tongue out at the priest, Vash tossed the larger bottle to him and the smaller one to Millie. He then sat down beside Meryl again, the third, and largest, bottle in hand. He flashed her a big, almost smug grin. Resulting in her playful nudging of her elbow in his left shoulder.

"Ok, Mister Vash. It's your turn," Millie reminded happily, Vash smiled and turned to Wolfwood, his grin taking a devious turn.

"Wolfwood," he said, looking at the preacher. "Truth or-"

"Truth," Wolfwood deadpanned, taking another drink.

"Ok," Vash pouted, leaning back on his elbows to think for a moment. "How many bike's have you had?" Wolfwood's brows buried into each other as he scowled at the blond man.

"Listen here, Spiky, I'll have you know, that my Angelinas only ever crash whenever you're involved," he growled, pointing an accusing finger at the crowing outlaw.

"That's not an answer, Wolfwood," Meryl pointed out, coming to the guman's defense as he tried to hide his bulky shoulders behind her small form.

"Alright, alright," the priest cried out in defeat before muttering something under his breath.

"What was that, Mister Wolfwood?" Millie asked, leaning forward as she tried to hear what he said.

"Four. Maybe five," the dark haired man grumbled lowly, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting the crumpled thing with a match.

"Seriously?" Vash asked, bursting into laughter. The deathly glare that he received went unnoticed by the blond as he continued to laugh, clutching his stomach as he tried to stop. Meryl's hand quickly quieted the broom head when she smacked his shoulder. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for, Short Girl?" But, she didn't even look at him, keeping her attention focused on the priest. He sighed, rubbing his shoulder lightly. Not that it hurt. He was used to pain, but he liked to make her think that she had won. Again.

"Okay, my turn," Wolfwood mumbled past the cigarette burning between his lips. He smacked his hands together, rubbing them in anticipation. He looked around their little group for a moment, then, seeming to come to some sort of a decision, he looked over to Millie and smiled sweetly.

"Big Girl, truth or dare?"

"Oh well," she mused, replacing her finger to her chin and looking deep in thought. "Truth I guess," she said finally and moment later. Wolfwood smiled, though a little put out, he obliged and asked her how she came into possession of her monster stun gun.

"Oh this?" she asked, innocently lifting the big gun from where she had left it on her extended cape, one handed. "My father gave it to me as a present for getting a job at the Bernardelli Insurance Company," she informed them proudly, casually setting the gun back on the edge of her cape again.

"Oh, really? Very nice," Wolfwood said, impressed.

"My turn! Well, you haven't gone yet, Meryl. So, truth or dare?" the tall brunette cried happily, turning to her partner, resulting in her sliding down the slippery sand dune and into Wolfwood's side. She giggled, apologizing as she blushed. He just chuckled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her from falling even further down the dune. Meryl watched with a small smile. But, it quickly faded and she straightened her spine to answer her friend.

"Truth, Millie."

"Aw! How come I'm the only one that's done a dare?" Vash wailed, waving his hands around his head to call for attention.

"Because you're a broom headed idiot," Meryl replied, giving him a flat look. He hung his head in mock hurt.

"Well, fine then," he pouted, closing his eyes, crossing his arms and turning his head away from her, his bottom lip stuck out in protest at her accusations. He was rewarded with a small, light though humorous chuckle from her. He cracked an eyes to see her watching him, then flashed a big grin. She just rolled her eyes at him and returned her attention to her partner.

"Ok then, Meryl. Where did you hear about this holiday?"

Meryl blushed as three very curious eyes found their way to rest upon her intently. She sighed and pulled at the edges of the big, red duster on her shoulders.

"Well, when I was a little girl, my mom and dad used to celebrate it. My mom told me that even though most people didn't even know about it anymore, they were still going to celebrate it. It was more to take a break from our hectic lives and enjoy the company of our family for a change," she finished, a small, sad smile accenting her lips as she thought about something.

"That's wonderful, Meryl," Millie sighed, happily leaning into Wolfwood as she took a drink from her small whiskey bottle.

"Yeah," Meryl whispered. Resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Well, hey, Short Girl! Guess it's your turn now," Vash cried after a moment of silence between the four of them.

"Oh, right. Sorry Vash," Meryl said, smiling sheepishly as she tried to cover her start.

"Hm," she muttered, looking up to the stars to think. "Vash, truth or dare?" she asked a moment later.

"Ah. Well, I'll be the brave one here and take the dare," he said, his comical macho voice returning full force. Meryl rolled her eyes, but smiled a little at his antics.

"I dare you to use Millie's and my real names for the rest of the night," she challenged. "And every time you forget, you have to take a drink."

"_Geeze,"_ Vash thought miserably as he watched her small, triumphantly smug smile spread over her pretty face. _"She sure knows how to give a dare."_

"Alright, Sh- Meryl," he stumbled, catching himself before it was too late.

"Well, if you wanna go that way, Millie! Truth or dare?" he called, pointing at the tall insurance girl for emphasis.

"Oh, well. I guess I'll choose dare, Mister Vash," she said timidly. He smiled broadly as he began.

"Under the same rules, I dare you to stop calling me 'Mister Vash' and just 'Vash' for the rest of the night." She blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly and agreeing.

So, over the next hour or more, the four of them continued to play their game. The results ended as you would expect. Millie ended up drinking more because she slipped and called Vash 'Mister' while Vash and Wolfwood continued to dare each other to do stupider and crazier things with each round. Finally, they were put to a stop when Meryl demanded that they cool it or end up with their heads knocked together. They sheepishly agreed and the game continued in a similar, though sedated fashion.

* * *

Finally, when the last of their bottles were finished and three of the five moons had reached the peaks of their orbits, Vash announced that it was time to start telling secrets. The other three shifted nervously until Vash's aid that it didn't have to be anything serious. Just fun stuff. They smiled and laughed.

"I'll go first!" Vash cried, striking a pose of a brave hero. He quickly ducked when Wolfwood chucked his empty (but still heavy) bottle at his head. "Alright then. I'll tell you the reason why I'm actually called 'The Stampede'," he said, letting the sentence hang dramatically for a second.

"Many years ago, before July, I was staying in this town that was known for their tomas herds. I would spend most of my time well away from them, but every once in a while, I'd go over to say hi to a few friends I had made in the town. Well, one day, I was waiting for two of them to show up so we could all go target practicing. They were some really good shots and I really learned a lot from them. Well, anyway. I was leaning against the railing of a really big tomas pen as I waited when it just... opened. I tried really hard to get it closed before any of them noticed, but I really had to sneeze. And the next thing I knew, I was being chased down by almost a hundred tomas through the town.," he cried exasperatedly, hanging his head in shame when Millie and Wolfwood both burst out laughing. Meryl on the other hand, just gave him a strange look before she smiled broadly at his tale.

"It's not as though I could have stopped it, they just wouldn't listen to me. Everyone in town were really nice about it though. Said it wasn't the worst they had. Just, well... The biggest," he finished, smiling a little self deprecating smile.

"Well that's not the worst one I've heard of. Let alone the time I found you after your two year disappearing act," Wolfwood chuckled, shaking his head and pulling out another crumpled cigarette.

"That's really funny Mister Vash," Millie giggled, clasping her hands over her mouth a second later when she realized she forgot to drop the 'Mister'. Vash just chuckled and told her not to worry about it.

"Okay, Mister Vash!" she chirped happily, missing Vash's head drop in defeat. "I hate tapioca pudding!" she cried a second later with alarming seriousness.

"No way! You? Hate any kind of pudding?" Vash and Wolfwood asked incredulously, both looking between themselves, Millie and finally resting upon her partner who just nodded wearily.

"Yes," she said severely. "Those clear things in it are so creepy. My big-big brother once told me that they were fish eyes. Blech," she finished, sticking her tongue out in disgust, nose crinkled and eyes closed with the same resentment.

"You have got to be kidding right? They aren't really fish eyes," Wolfwood muttered, continuing to look at her strangely.

"I know that. And, I used to like it before. But, ever since he told me that, I just can't eat it without thinking that they really are fish eyes. It makes me sick," she said sadly. Wolfwood just joined Vash in a his guffaw at the tall insurance woman.

"Well now, if that wasn't a bombshell," Wolfwood said, wiping his eyes of tears once he had calmed down enough. "How about I tell you my secret. About the first time I went traveling after I came into possession my baby," he said, giving the giant metal cross an affectionate pat.

After all eyes were on him, he cleared his throat and pulled out _another_ crumpled cigarette from his suit.

"I was walking through the desert, just meandering between towns. You know, looking for anything that could help pay the way for the kids in my orphanage. Well, anyway. I was walking over the top of this dune, and wouldn't ya know it, but I fell in and dropped my baby," he said mournfully lighting the cigarette in his mouth. "Well after I got my bearings, I realized that at the bottom of the due was a bunch of quicksand. And guess what fell in it?" he asked, turning to cast a contemplative eye over his audience.

"The Cross Punisher."

"No," Millie breathed, watching him intently.

"Yes. I know. It was tragic. And worse yet, I had not rope to pull it out by."

"Well you obviously managed to retrieve it," Meryl muttered, annoyed, after Wolfwood failed to continue his story. She huffed as she put her hand in her palm, resting her elbow on one of her knees.

"Why, yes I did! However, the part of this story that is the real secret, is how I accomplished that task," the priest laughed, smiling ruefully at his captivated audience, thinking back to the day.

"It was a really hot day, I remember. Around high noon when it happened. Well, I eventually managed to scrounge up enough items to make a sort of rope and pull my baby out. It was a real pain trying to undo it though. You'll never believe what I had to use," he grumbled, looking around challengingly to his friends.

"Your cloths," Meryl suddenly deadpanned.

"Wha-? How did you know?" Wolfwood cried, pointing an accusing finger at the tiny woman.

"Yeah, Meryl. How did you guess so easily" Millie asked, tilting her head in confusion at her senior partner.

"Well for one, the man never carries any sort of supplies with him. Other than his cross, that is," she assented at the priest's wounded look. "And another, he would never leave the Punisher out in the desert by itself long enough to find a town with some rope. If he did that, he probably wouldn't have found it again. Not only because he's incompetent, but because the desert is always changing. So logically, the only thing he would use would be his cloths. So tell me, Wolfwood? How long did it take you to come up with that brilliant plan?" Meryl asked, smugly watching the priest's face turn from sour to embarrassed.

"An hour," the priest finally ground out, crossing his arms over his chest, granting the hysterically laughing gunman a deadly glare. The blond didn't notice, however, and raised a hand to give the short woman a high-five. She smiled triumphantly and accepted the gesture proudly.

"Well fine then! What's your secret, Spitfire?" the priest asked, almost viciously. Millie, who had been giggling, rested a comforting hand on his shoulder and he relaxed a bit.

"Well," Meryl mused, lifting her head to look at the stars above her again.

"I don't really know what to say. I'm allergic to grass," she mused quietly, her gaze still thoughtfully focused on the stars.

"Well how did you come to figure that out?" Wolfwood asked, watching the small woman halfheartedly.

"My brothers threw me a sweet sixteen party in a geo plant. We spent the day lounging about in the grass before the party. My arms and legs swelled up so bad, I looked like a big blue sausage," she chuckled, despite the blush dusting her cheeks and bridge of her nose.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Meryl!" Millie cried, holding her hand hands to her mouth in a sympathetic gasp.

"Haha! That must have been some sight. So tell me, how many people did you clobber when they asked if you gained twenty pounds everywhere in a day?"

"None," Meryl murmured absently. "You probably wouldn't be surprised to know that both of my older brothers are very protective of me. Kind of suffocating if you ask me. But, it was nice. They clobbered a guy when he started laughing at me," she said with a fond smile and a simple shrug.

"So, how did you find out it was the grass?" Vash asked, casually leaning back on his elbows.

"Well, I'd already worn that dress many times in the past few years, so it couldn't have been that. And, the grass was the only thing that could have affected my arms and legs but not my throat and eyes." Meryl replied, leaning back to rest in the sand. The three chuckled, following suit and gazing up at the stars.

"This was fun, Mister Vash. Why don't we do this more often?" Millie asked, yawning as she rested her head against the shoulder of the ever smoking priest.

"Well now, if we did, it wouldn't be a holiday," Wolfwood informed, flicking the cherry from his cigarette.

"But, it's so much fun," she pouted.

"Well, we can always ask Meryl if there are any other obscure holidays from Earth," Vash teased, receiving a sharp jab to the ribs with her elbow.

"Ow, Meryl," he groaned. But, she just chuckled in response.

"That's a good idea, Spiky. But, maybe next time, we could all stay in the bar with our day cloths on," Wolfwood smirked, looking up only to laugh at Vash's rude hand gesture.

"Go to hell, Wolfwood," Meryl muttered, batting Vash's hand out of her line of sight. He gave her a wounded look, but she just smiled at him.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Wolfwood cried in mock hurt.

"Well, it's good to know you're not a total idiot and can understand when you're being insulted," Meryl teased, chuckling at Wolfwood's own gesture towards herself.

"Now, now children," Vash chuckled, dodging another bottle from Woolfwood and taking a soft back handed slap to the shoulder from Meryl.

With that, they all fell into silence. Each staring up into the stars, thoughts differing between them. Some heavy, others light. But, for the most part, they all enjoyed the silence and the comfortable aura between friends. When a stiff wind blew around them, Meryl pulled the big red duster from beneath her, inched over towards Vash and covered him in it. When she laid her head on his offered bicep, he wrapped the tails of the coat around her tiny frame. Near them, the soft snores from Wolfwood and Millie alerted them to their friend's decent into slumber. They shared a smile and returned to the stars.

"Vash?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Meryl," Vash muttered, giving her shoulders a light squeeze. Soon, they were both in a light, but comfortable sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Well, there it is. I know it's a bit fluffy. I hope it wasn't too much. I really was just aiming for a funny way to introduce a silly holiday into the Trigun world and explain a bit of the trust going on behind the scenes with the four of them. And for those of you who noticed: yes, I put moon**s**light. I figured, since they have terms like yarz and iles, why not change the word to describe the fact that they have multiple moons?_

_And, I just love the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi! I don't know exactly which direction the SEEDs project went from Earth, but I figured no one would care if I put that little bit about their constellations in there. -^_^-_

_Well, I hope you all liked it! Drop me a note and tell me what you think. -^_^-_


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